autoevolution
 

Icon 1000 New Jack Suzuki Katana Is a Radical Racing Demon

Despite being an iconic bike of the motorcycling world more than three decades ago, Suzuki Katana was never a looker. Some agree that the bike was a bit ahead of its time back then, but yet it sort of failed to make an enduring impression which would inspire later models. However, there was something almost magic to this “ugly duckling” which made bike builders revisit it every now and then and today it’s time to introduce to you Icon’s New Jack, a bold, non-conformist take on the old Katana.
Icon 1000 New Jack 21 photos
Photo: Icon1000.com
Icon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuildIcon 1000 New Jack, a 1982 Katana rebuild
The donor bike is an ’82 Suzuki Katana but there are only few things left to tell the old story in full. Most likely, the front upper fairing and the slot where the old and fugly square headlight used to be are the ones who will speak about the bike’s past. However, the New Jack is a completely different machine altogether, and the headlight was replaced by a huge oil cooler, while the lower lip of the nacelle incorporates a high-power LED strip to allow night-time rides.

An iconic Suzuki with a lot of Honda parts

If you thought the Icon 1000 New Jack is an all-Suzuki-blooded beast, you’ll be surprised to learn that the front end and wheels come from the house of Tokyo. The forks are provided by a CBR 954, while a 929 Fireblade threw in the clamps, and a VTR RC51 SP2 was the source of the wheels.

Pro-Lite rotors have replaced the standard ones and are squeezed by matching high-performance pads, while carbon fiber fork protectors have also been installed. The golden Nissin calipers and disc carriers are matched by a similarly-colored Icon 1000 branding job in the lower section of the fork.

The heart of the old Katana was not exactly worthy to motivate this radical project so the engine of a Bandit 1200 was added to the scheme, with structural reinforcements for the frame being the next logical step in this build. The airbox gave way to open velocity stacks, and the exhaust was changed to a 4-into-1 shorty which should provide quite a roar when revved hard enough.

In the rear, a racing-grade TL1000 swingarm replaced the stock one, and Icon decided to make an even bolder move. Dual high-performance Nitron racing shocks have been installed as the rear suspension, but they’ve been mounted side by side in the place where a monoshock could normally be spotted. All in all, the functionality is dramatically higher than what the old array could ever deliver, and the rear end looks sporty and aggressive, especially with the custom tail section and the bespoke racing solo seat.

The final magic racing touch is added by the dual fillers on the tank. Not sure whether the tank is split in half; while the racing spirit is definitely alive and kicking with this dual filler cap setup, it wouldn’t make too much sense to split New Jack’s tank.

Add in race-grade rubber and the new personality for the old Katana is complete. Still a weird build, the Icon 1000 New Jack Katana however now oozes authentic racing radicalism, free from artificial conventions.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories